[ar15meister]

Hey,
I have recently completed a restoration of a 1969 M-Code Runner and I have my donor car sitting in my shop. It is a complete car and I have a second 440 engine to play with. I have an 8 3/4 rear end for the car and a 727 auutomatic tranny as well.

Here is what I am thinking of doing. I want to build a street/strip car. Roll cage, tubbed out rear end with huge streetable 18inchers, all black paint, black rims and modern racing seats. I was also thinking about trying to get an A?C unit into the car.

I dont know the cost of anyu of this stuff.


Basically I want a car that looks and sounds as mean as I can possible make it so that I can cruise around looking badasses and also take it out to the track and run some decent times.

I am more interested in the look than flat out performance and I do need this car to be driveable on the street to justify the expense. I also need it to hold at least 2, preferably four people.

Let me know what all of you guys think and if this can be done. Cost is an issue I would like to get a grasp of as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Richard Ellis]

The Roadrunner...

My take on your proposed project is one of dread....as you may have already found out finding all the 'correct' stuff for your restoration is very expensive. A modification project done to your prized Roadrunner as you described will throw the value of your car into the toilet.
As a drag car the roadrunner can be set-up quite easily & you can get some good times at the strip, but to carve up the sheetmetal for tubs is bordering on blasphemy. A subtle build will get you a quick ride but don't get carried away by slashing up your Roadrunner.
Perhaps a fiberglass hood, a roots blower sticking out, some rear rubber pushed to the very limit of the wheelwells WITHOUT cutting, a evil looking paint job,....No "seats" No rollbars....besides, do you know how difficult it is to climb in the back with a rollbar?
_________________________________________________Rick............

 

[ar15meister]

roadrunner

Thanks for your reply. Just thought I would clarify, I dont care at all about losing value in the car, right now it is just a body with a ccouple of wheels. It isnt worth anything to me, as I used its quarter panels and many other parts in an NOS restoration of a numbers matching '69 M-code 440-6. I was going to sell it for a couple grand but instead I think I am going to make it a fun car to run the snot out of, which I cant do to the other car seeing as its worth way too much coin.

I have the quarters from the other car which I am going to use on this one, they are in fair (some rust and bondo) condition but not as good as the ones I used off this car.

I am building the DONOR car into the hot rod, not the cream puff......

 

[topfuel]

ar, build it the way you want, value be dam*ed. It seems everyone these days is always talking about the value of the vehicle or how much it is worth. Have fun with the car as you see fit. Too much emphasis is on how much something is worth and not how much enjoyment you get out of it. Do it your way and have fun!! :thumbup:

Barry

 

[Richard Ellis]

Racin' Roadrunner

OK then....shes' not the pretty one, weld up the doors carve up the steel of the inner door cuttin weight down, perhaps sheets of aluminum to "rebuild" the interior, single carbon fiber race seat....I guess your buddies will have to slither around on the aluminum....you'll have fun slamming them onto the 'rear' area when you get on it huh?
What class are you thinking of running in?
Push that 440 as far up to the firewall as you can for the weight transfer (Resizing the driveshaft) Watch the Comp ratio for pump gas.....Gunmetal grey sounds evil enough...Racing Centerlines, perhaps you could paint a flat panel for the grille..you know the 3-D look fake headlights, buckets,grille?
_____________________________________________Rick...........

 

[techinspector1]

The first thing you need is 500 cubic inches
http://www.speedomotive.com/ps-142-14-mopar-440cid-to-500cid-stroker-kit.aspx

 

[xntrik]

Hell with the numbers.... Hell with the restoration jerks.....

I had a new one, they were crap like the new 66 Mustang I had. Who would actually want one restored to assembly line condition.. .... yuck......


POINT = Have you actually met anyone who had one brand new that wants another one just like the factory built ?????? I mean, just to drive it. They might want it because of its perceived value... but they really want a hot rod.


Build what you like and enjoy it....

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.... :thumbup:

 

[ar15meister]

tubbing the car out

As far as tubbing the rear end, what am I looking at in terms of cost for the actual work and the wheel/tire combo. I would like to get a set of 16' to 18' tires (width) in the rear of the car. Is this a reasonable proposition?

Please advise. I am asking everyone I know in the auto business. (I own a enclosed auto transport company in Canada) Nobody seems to know what this procedure entails or costs.

 

[farna]

To to sites like Chassis Engineering and price "back half" kits. That's what you'll need to tub a unit body car. Then it's a matter of cutting and welding in. The tubs and some sheet metal to patch where cuts were made is going to be trivial. You might want to search for "mini tubs" -- not sure if they would work on the Road Runner body though.

One important thing -- can you and/or some buddies do the cutting and welding, or are you planning on paying someone to do all this? When you say "I restored...", do you mean you actually did most of the work or did you pay to have most done, like hang the quarter panels. That's going to make the biggest impact on price.

If you're doing 90% of the work, the shell and glass are in pretty good condition, and the 440 is a runner as is, you could put a decent street toy together for $5K or so. If you have to pay someone for 75% or more of the work, expect the same results to cost around $15K. Like construction, labor is at least 200% the cost of the components, or 2/3 of the total project cost.

As long as you're getting something you will enjoy, cost and your labor input realyl don't matter. I agree, it will be much more fun than the "trailer queen". I've built several cars to enjoy (drive!) and always advise those wanting to get into the old car hobby for fun to do the same rather than restore. When you restore you quickly have a car that you don't want to drive for fear of damage. It's fun to take it around and get trophies and looks, but I've got a few with my drivers. I submit that I have a lot more fun driving my car every day too!

 

[ar15meister]

I appreciate your advice. I do intend to farm out the work on the car as I did on my other car. I have a guy who works cheap and does fantastic work so I will get him to do the job. Where do I look for those wheels and tires? Should I buy them before I go ahead with planning the back halfing?

 

[farna]

You might want to look for the wheels and tires first. Then you'll know how narrow the axle and back-half has to be. Which brings me to something that was missed -- price a narrowed rear axle. That will run $1000-$1500 for a complete narrowed Ford 9".

For wheels you can check all sorts of sites. Try Jeg's or Summitt first. 15"-16" wide wheels alone run from $400-$500 each from Weld Racing. Once you decide on the wheels and tires you want to run you'll know about how narrow an axle and back-half frame will be needed.

Check with your body guy about back-halfing. That's a lot of work to the unit body supporting structure. He may not want to tackle that much re-engineering.